Harry Potter, the Dragonrider?
by 2910leiv
Summary: When a mysterious stranger arrives at Hogwarts and makes Harry an offer, will he be able to refuse? AU, 6th year, may be slash later. Rating just to be safe. ON HOLD, cause I'm stuck :-(
1. Chapter 1

**This is what happens when reading Dragonriders of Pern, watching Eragon on tv and surfing too many website regarding dragons.**

**I own nothing but the plot. It's NOT a crossover with the above mentioned stories.**

**Beware this will most likely turn out to be slash, though I have yet to decide on the pairing. I only have a vague idea where I want to go with this, so I may be a while before updating.**

**This is AU, starts in Harry's sixth year and will ignore a lot of the canon stuff. No horcruxes.**

Chapter 1 The Dragonrider

It was an ordinary dull November evening. The students and teachers were for the most part gathered for their evening meal in the Great Hall. People were eating, talking, laughing, arguing, and studying just as they would through any other mealtime. The boy who lived sat with his friends at the Gryffindor table, while unobtrusively observing his crush, Ginny Weasley, while she flirted with her boyfriend, Dean Thomas. The sight of them together made the unpleasant feeling in Harry's stomach worse and he angrily turned to stab his fork at a sausage on his plate. Ron was oblivious as usual, as he stuffed his mouth and perused through the latest quidditch magazine. The small witches and wizards whizzed across the pages on their tiny broomsticks. Hermione had her nose buried in a book, looking for all the world as if she belonged at the Ravenclaw table.

Up at the teacher's table Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were deeply engrossed in a conversation regarding the declining standard of muggle sweets compared to when they had been younger. That is to say, Dumbledore was doing most of the talking. McGonagall was mainly listening politely, as she ate her food.

Suddenly there was a noise coming from outside the hall; then the massive solid oak doors swung upon on their own accord. Even the sullen potions professor, Severus Snape, looked to see what was happening. A hooded, cloaked figure entered slowly. When it had walked six meters into the room a dragon appeared, following behind it. Many of the students screamed and leapt out of their seats, to get away from the beast. The teachers jumped to their feet as well, pulling their wands out, ready to defend their young charges.

The cloaked figure continued to walk calmly down the length of the great hall, as if nothing had happened. The massive blue dragon followed. It looked around at the children in a friendly, curious manner, but the children were all too scared to notice. They had been raised on the notion that all dragons were mindless beasts that would slaughter an innocent child if given the chance.

When the figure had passed about two-thirds of the way toward the head table, it stopped. It was about this time that Dumbledore remembered his status as leader of his people and found his voice.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked none too impressively. The figure remained silent, giving Dumbledore the distinct impression he was being evaluated and coming up short. "Look, I am Headmaster Dumbledore. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I demand that you answer me." The students trembled, hearing the anger in their Headmaster's voice. The figure remained unresponsive. The dragon however rose on its hind legs and stretched out its massive wings. It loomed over the cloaked figure in front of it and glared at the Headmaster. He swallowed nervously.

Then the figure moved. In a fluid motion it removed its cloak and revealed a young woman. She was dressed in a splendorous outfit; it consisted entirely of dragonhide, of the same blue colour as the dragon behind her. The boots were of a different, coarser part of the hide than her trousers and shirt. Over those she wore a velvet sleeveless tunic in black, with a silver emblem of a dragon embroidered on the front and silvery dragonhide cuffs around her wrists and lower arms. A dangerous looking dagger with a silver handle hung at her hip. A black heavy cloak fell from her shoulders, held in place by silver broaches. Though they couldn't see it from the front, the cloak was also embroidered in a beautiful rendition of a flying dragon under a crown.

The woman herself was also very beautiful. Her slim figure and delicate features seemed almost ethereal. She had slender, elegant cheekbones, a petite nose, full lips and beautiful blue eyes. But the most striking features were her pointed ears and short, starling blue hair. It was cropped in a pretty style that suited her; enhancing her lovely features and making her look even more exotic.

She gazed at them a moment, observing their reactions. Her dragon settled down behind her, though it still kept a watchful eye on them.

"Has the wizarding world fallen so far from tradition, that they no longer follow the customs?" She asked. Her voice sounding clearly in the otherwise silent hall. There was a flicker of confusion among the teachers and Dumbledore searched his extensive knowledge of wizarding traditions and customs, but came up empty. He was just about to open his mouth to inquire, when every single ghost of Hogwarts came floating in, heading straight for the blue visitor. They formed a line in front of the teachers table and the Bloody Baron floated to the visitor. The baron bowed deeply, making an - for him - unusual sweeping gesture with his hat.

"My Lady Dragonrider, I am known as the Bloody Baron. On behalf of the ghosts of Hogwarts I bid you most welcome. We are honoured by your presence." The Baron said. The young woman held her left fist to the right side of her chest and bowed respectfully to the Baron, who continued speaking.

"I pray you must forgive the living. They have forgotten you, I fear." The woman looked sternly at the Headmaster and his staff.

"I see. Thank you, Baron." He bowed again and moved away far enough for her to pass should she desire to do so. She looked at Dumbledore.

"I am Mitakai, Knight of the Dragonriders and envoy for the Queen of the Dragons. I ask for an audience with the boy, Harry Potter." The hall came alive with muttered conversations at hearing this. Many cast weary glances at the dragon and the young woman, not quite knowing what to make of them, while others looked to the boy who lived. He was standing by his seat at the Gryffindor table, close to the woman. _Why do these things always happen to me?_ he thought. _If it's not some homicidal madman then it's a woman with a dragon._ He looked up at the beast. Strangely enough it seemed very different from the one he had fought in his fourth year. It seemed almost… friendly.

"What do you want to see Mr. Potter about?" Dumbledore asked, using Legillimency to try and pry the information from her. He found himself completely blocked. Whoever she was, she had very able Occlumency skills. The woman ignored his attempts and said:

"That is between me and Mr. Potter."

"I am afraid that is not good enough. As Headmaster it is my duty to protect…" he didn't get any further, as the ghosts were in an uproar at hearing his words.

"Albus Dumbledore, how dare you disrespect an envoy of the esteemed Queen of the dragons?" the Bloody Baron roared furiously as Nearly Headless Nick shouted:

"Mr. Dumbledore! There is no need to doubt the words of a dragonrider."

"How dare you!" shouted the Grey Lady, striking terror into the students, who had never seen her terrible angry form.

The dragonrider stood motionless and let them shout; then the dragon roared. The thunderous sound reverberated along the stone walls of the hall and many of the candles were temporarily blown out. They relit them selves a few moments later, though. Harry swallowed once and squared his shoulders. He then stepped away from the bench and toward the woman.

"I am Harry Potter." She turned slightly to face him. A small smile appeared on her face for the first time. The dragon settled behind her again.

"Greetings, young Potter." She said and bowed to him as she had to the Bloody Baron. Harry bowed awkwardly to her in return. "Is there a place where we may speak in private?" she asked.

"No, I cannot allow that." Shouted Dumbledore, as he hurried down from the platform toward them, while edging past the chilly presence of the many ghosts. Harry saw the young woman's eyes flash with indignant fury, before it was quickly repressed. The dragon showed no such reservations, however, as it glared furiously at the advancing Headmaster. It shook its massive body before settling again. The ghost were shouting their complaints at the Headmaster as he passed them and the Bloody Baron had drawn his sabre and held it to Dumbledore's face, when he approached. The old man was forced to stop short or be run through with the ghostly weapon. He held up his hands as he looked past the irate ghost.

"Mr. Potter is just a child. He is not able to partake in any political issues."

"And yet you use him for little else." The knight said calmly, completely shocking the old man into silence. She turned to Harry and smiled gently. He had found the whole experience most disconcerting. He startled as he remembered she had asked him for a private place to talk.

"Oh, ehm, I guess we can use the room next door." He stammered, pointing to the door in the far corner to the left of the teachers table. "But I guess your dragon won't fit there." He was already wracking his brain to find a more suitable place, when he heard her laughing gently. He looked at her.

"That will not be a problem." She looked up at her dragon expectantly. It made a sort of snorting sound and then it began to shrink. Harry stared with huge eyes. Within moments the massive dragon had shrunk to the size of a guinea pig; well not counting the tail and the wings. It flew over to land on the dragonrider's outstretched arm, where it proceeded to climb to her shoulder where it found a comfortable perch. It nuzzled the woman's cheek and she rubbed back in a show of affection. She smiled at him.

"Lead the way."

"So, what's your dragon's name?" he asked feeling the need to break the silence as they walked. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on him and he longed to be out of the spotlight. Also he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to be alone with the strange woman. He glanced over his shoulder toward Dumbledore, who it seemed where finally snapping out of his stupor.

"He is called Snugglepuff, Puff for short… and yes he is magical," she winked at him and he had to smile a little. Being raised by muggles meant he knew of the song 'Puff the magic dragon'. "But he isn't really mine. He belongs to himself. I am just his rider." She lifted her hand to gently caress the dragon, which seemed to love the touch. "And his friend." By now they had reached the door to the side chamber. He cast a final look over his shoulder. She noticed.

"If you are wary to have this conversation in seclusion, perhaps you should choose an observer to accompany you." He could tell she would rather he didn't and that she certainly didn't want the Headmaster present. He thought about it. Maybe he should ask someone to be there as well. But who? If not the Headmaster… he looked around. He thought for a moment of Hermione, but disregarded the thought. McGonagall? No, she would go straight to Dumbledore. His eyes fell on the sour potions master. Snape was cruel and hated him, but he always kept him safe, even when he didn't want to be. The man was standing close by frowning at the commotion the ghosts were causing as the Headmaster tried to get past them yet again.

"Professor Snape?" Harry asked. The man turned to glare at him. "Professor, would you be my observer at the meeting?" the man looked at him in astonishment, then the impassive mask reasserted itself and he inclined his head in agreement. He walked over to them. They went into the side room and closed the door on the rest of the school.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Mr. Potter, how much do you know about the Nexus Realm?" she asked. He looked at her utterly confused. He had never heard of such a thing. A quick glance at Snape suggested that he hadn't heard of it either. "What of the dragonriders?" she asked seeing his confusion. He shook his head. This was the first time he had ever heard of anyone riding the backs of dragons. The only dragons he had ever seen where the ferocious beasts during the Triwizard Tournament and Hagrid's baby dragon Norbert. None of them would encourage a would-be rider to climb onto them. The woman sighed heavily.

"There are many realms coexisting with this one. The divide between the muggle world and the wizarding world isn't a part of that, as they both belong in _this_ realm. Some of the realms are very secluded, isolated places, while others are very open and have many Doors, that is… places where one can cross from one realm to another." She looked at him to ensure he understood her so far. He nodded thoughtfully. "The Nexus realm is where all the various realms converge. If you want to go from one realm to another and they don't have a Door in common, then you can go through the Nexus realm. It is often likened to a Bridge or a Hallway connecting the realms." Harry nodded again.

"The Nexus realm belongs to the Queen of the dragons. She is the ruler there. To serve her she has the dragonriders and of course their dragons. The dragonriders are warriors sworn to uphold the peace and serve as law enforcement. The Nexus realm is neutral ground for all visitors; no matter what their grievances or natural dislikes, they have to obey the law of neutrality. The Nexus realm is a place for commerce, for diplomacy, for meetings and in some instances ritualised warfare." Harry nodded again; thinking it made some sort of sense. Then it occurred to him.

"Does that mean that if Voldemort and Dumbledore both went there, they wouldn't be able to fight?" he asked. The woman smiled at him.

"That is correct. They would both have to abide by the law." In the corner of the room Severus Snape let out a derisive snort. The woman looked at him, but said nothing.

"If the Dark Lord wishes to attack, he will do so regardless of what some law stipulates." Snape said quietly. The woman smiled gently, completely unfazed.

"And he would suffer the consequences. He would be stripped of his magic before he could cause any further damage. At the very least for the duration of his stay in the Nexus realm. If his transgression was grievous enough, he would risk being permanently turned into a squib." Harry noticed Snape's look of incredulity and he had to admit that he too was somewhat sceptical. If these people were so powerful, then how come no one had ever heard of them? The young woman sighed.

"You have to understand. We see a lot of evil overlords and warmongers. Evil empires rise and fall. Sometimes a leader of the light will rise like a Messiah and lead a civilization into a new golden age. Sometimes a Dark Lord will bring it to destruction. We see it all in the Nexus realm." Snape was frowning; displeased by his former master and present enemy of the light being belittled and dismissed so carelessly.

"You should not be so quick to underestimate the Dark Lord, My Lady." He told her.

"And you should not overestimate his importance, Professor Snape." She retorted. Harry looked from one to the other, not quite knowing who to root for. When the pair kept glaring at each other, he cleared his throat.

"I still don't know what that has to do with me? Why did the Queen send you to talk to me?" The woman inclined her head and answered.

"I'm sorry for my lack of clarity. The dragonriders are formed by people selected from all over the realms. They are brought to the Nexus realm and if they pass the tests, they may begin training to become dragonriders."

"Are you here to take Mr. Potter to train as a dragonrider?" Snape asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Harry looked at him in shock; not yet having formulated the idea on his own. He looked at the woman.

"Yes and no, Professor." She looked intensely at Harry. "I am here to offer to take you, Harry, to the Nexus realm for training. If at the end of the training period you decide to try out to become a dragonrider then you remain free to do so on the same terms as everyone else. If however you choose to return to this realm, you will be brought back here with no remaining obligations. The skills you've been taught will be yours to use." Harry narrowed his eyes. It sounded too good to be true. These people offered to train him as a warrior without expecting anything in return?

"What's the catch?" he asked. She smiled hugely at him. Her pleased merriment showing in her beautiful blue eyes.

"The training takes a minimum of five years." She paused to let him work it out on his own. _Shit_ he thought, as the information settled. "You would have to leave this realm for five years and not have any contact with anybody here for the duration of your training. Should you decide to return to this realm upon the completion of your training, you will be returned through time to a single day after you left. It would mean that you will have aged, matured and evolved for five years, while your peers remain as they are now."

Harry paled as he considered it. He would grow up and become a man, while his friends would still be teenagers. He would distance himself from his friends; from Hermione and Ron; from the Weasleys, the closest thing he came to having a family; from Ginny, his secret crush - _who loves another,_ an unwanted dark thought whispered to him. As Harry pondered the impossible terms of his training, Severus Snape was observing the young lady in front of him.

"Why?" he suddenly asked. The dragonrider arched an eyebrow silently questioning him. "Why would the Queen of the dragons make such an offer? If the dragonriders are neutral and the Dark Lord is as inconsequential as you claim, then why extend help to one side of the conflict and not to the other?" She stared at him unflinchingly.

"The Nexus realm is being overrun by refugees seeking sanctuary from the persecutions taking place in this realm. The other realms have demanded that action be taken to ensure the safety of their relations living in this realm. The Queen offers Harry the training in the hope that he will use it to destroy this Dark Lord of yours." She turned to Harry. "But understand this. You have a choice. If you decide to remain here untrained, that is your choice. If you decide to be trained and not return to fight the Dark Lord, that is your choice. If you decide to return and fight, that is also your choice. It is your life, Mr. Potter, and only you can decide what to do with it."

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. That was certainly a different tune from the one he was used to hearing from the wizarding world. They had all proclaimed him their saviour and expected him to fulfil his part regardless of his sentiments on the matter. They hailed him as a hero, but never shied from dragging him through the dirt if he strayed as much as a hairs breadth from the given path. Everywhere he went he was scrutinised; not for what he did at any particular moment, but for whom he was and what he had done before he was old enough to remember it. Even his closest friends would sometimes turn on him. Granted it was mostly just Ron being a jealous git, but Hermione often took Ron's side. If the two of them were to see sense and became a couple Harry would really be in trouble.

"I'll do it." The words had left his mouth before he even registered he had said them. He met her gaze. He knew he would not back down now. Something inside him told him it was the right thing to do. Snape spluttered beside him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter." He said. "This is not the type of decision that should be made at the drop of a wand. You need to think about it and discuss it with the Headmaster." Harry was shaking his head.

"No need. I'm going." He said with conviction. Snape glared at him, giving him the worst he could. But Harry didn't flinch. _Damn stubborn boy._ Snape thought. _How can I protect him if he leaves?_ A long moment passed. Then,

"If you go, then I will go too." Severus Snape proclaimed. The woman smiled a pleased smile, as if she had been expecting it.

"What?" Harry shrieked.

"You heard me, Potter." The snarky potions professor glared at the boy wonder.

"Why? You can't. Tell him he can't." Harry turned to the woman, pleading. She just smiled benignly at him. He turned back to glare at the professor. Snape was gloating inwardly at the boy's childish behaviour. _So much for the hope of the wizarding world_.

"I can and I will. I was sworn to protect you and I cannot do that if you are off gallivanting in another realm." That threw Harry for a loop.

"I… You… what?" his mouth was opening and closing, making the boy who lived look like a fish on land. "But…"

"No more foolishness, Potter. I am going too. That is the end of it."

"Splendid." The young dragonrider beamed at the both of them and with a clap of her hands they all vanished from the wizarding world.

When the people in the Great Hall felt the strange magic sealing the door disappear they burst into the room only to find it empty.

**Please let me know what you think? Should I continue this?**


	2. Ch2 The golden city

**Thank you to everyone for reading, faving, alerting and for the reviews. They are much appreciated. If I haven't answered you privately, then I'm sorry. I hope this answers some of the questions, though I still haven't decided on the pairing. I am leaning toward it eventually becoming a Snarry, though Harry first has to discover boys.**

Chapter 2 The golden city

Harry looked around with huge eyes. One moment he had been in the chamber at Hogwarts, the next he was here. He was standing at the side of a stone paved road, looking out at a grove of trees and fields of unripe corn swaying in the breeze. People were milling about – although, he noticed, they were not all human. In fact just passing him were a group of centaurs and behind them was a goblin and some sort of red humanoid. He had no idea what species that last one was. A humanoid with strange orange eyes and green striped hair drove a wagon pulled by a horse. It was loaded with sacks of something and at the very back of the wagon sat an old woman, her legs dangling. She had a basket of baked goods beside her that sent a delightful smell Harry's way. She smiled at him as they drove past. Harry followed her with his eyes as he spotted the Dragonrider standing next to him with Severus Snape on her other side. The man seemed absorbed by something and Harry turned to see what it was.

His jaw dropped. To the left of him was a massive golden stone bridge guarded by rearing dragon sculptures on either side. The bridge led across a wide river and on the other bank was a large sprawling city, the far side of which rose up the slope of a mountain. A grand citadel loomed near the top of the city. The houses were built with the same golden stones as the bridge and the shingles on the roofs were blue. Many of the houses had rooftop terraces and Harry could easily see the reason why. There were a large number of dragons to be seen all over the city, residing on the terraces, walking in the streets, as well as flying through the air. Some even had riders on their backs. One of the dragons roared and some of the others answered. Puff, still in his reduced size roared as well, as if in greeting. The Dragonrider smiled, flicked out her arm to encompass the city and said:

"Gentlemen, welcome to the Nexus realm."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry felt as he did when he was eleven and making his first trip to Diagon Alley. The golden city was full of wonders that he longed to explore, stalls and shops selling wares he had never seen before and didn't know the functions of. It had the feel of an oriental bazaar combined with a modern city. The streets were mostly wide avenues with smaller side streets crossing them. He saw evidence of technology, such as an unusual kind of street lamps. In the wizarding world they only used candles or oil lamps. There was also an underground sewer system and a railway system.

He discovered the last one, when the Dragonrider led them to an underground station, where they boarded the train. The train reminded him of the Hogwarts Express, except it wasn't a steam train. He had no idea what made it run as he could see no engines or power lines, like the muggles would have. They didn't seem to have to pay for the fair either. He filed the question away for later. He had noticed how the people around them were very respectful of the Dragonrider. People stepped aside to let them pass and some even bowed.

As they sat in the train compartment, Harry couldn't help but stare at the light sources. They were made of white stone that seemed to glow. The Dragonrider noticed his interest and chuckled.

"They're glowstones." She said. "They're mined from the mountains in the north. When the stone is subjected to sunlight it absorbs the energy, rather like muggle solar panels." Harry nodded, but Snape looked a little confused. He didn't say anything though, so the woman continued. "When the glowstones have soaked enough energy they start to glow. We use them for all our lighting needs. You've noticed the street lamps?" Again Harry nodded. "They work the best. They recharge during the day and glow all night. The indoor lamps have to be brought outside for recharging every once in a while."

"So you don't use candles at all? What about fires?" Snape asked. His mask of calm was firmly in place and his voice betrayed no emotion. He was however rather disconcerted by the idea of a society that didn't rely on fires. Though he had been raised in the muggle world, he had spent the majority of his life in the wizarding world and the candlelight and the presence of a burning fire in the fireplace had become something of a familiar comfort to him. Not that he would ever admit it.

"We do use candles, but mostly as a way to set the mood. Like the muggles. Although some species here prefer to use only candles and oil lamps. We also use fires. They are connected to the central heating systems in the houses. I understand that some of the kitchens also utilize fire powered stoves." She said with a smile.

When they got of the train and emerged from the station they were higher than most of the city and really close to the citadel that seemed to loom above them. Harry looked around. They were in a really posh neighbourhood, judging from the buildings surrounding the square they found themselves on. A fountain stood in the centre of the square, with sculptured nymphs of the forest dancing around the top of it. Harry's jaw dropped when he saw it. The stone nymphs were actually dancing; somehow they had been spelled to move.

"Harry." The Dragonrider said, waving her arm, signalling him to follow. He rushed over to her and Snape. The man was looking around behind a mask of controlled calm; though inside he was just as awed by their surroundings as his young charge.

There were people scattered around the square in little groups, some talking, some going about their business. The bustle of the marketplace was absent from this place. A female centaur trotted passed them with a basket full of scrolls in her arms. She bowed her head in greeting to the Dragonrider and walked on. Harry blushed a little, as he became aware that she had not worn any clothing on her upper body.

"Lady Mitakai!" A man was rushing over to them, holding on to his open robes to keep them from sliding off. He was middle aged, balding on top and a little too plump than seemed healthy. The Dragonrider turned toward him and waited for him to catch up.

"Mylady," he gasped out of breath, as he gave her a bow with both hands crossing his chest. Snape glared at the man with distain, while Harry looked at the man curiously. He had pointed ears like the Dragonrider, but other than that he was rather unremarkable. His outer robe was maroon and the trousers and waistcoat underneath were grey; he also wore a white button down shirt. The man fished out a pink frilly handkerchief and started dabbing his forehead with it.

"Mylady," he said again. "The Queen is expecting you. You are to go straight there." She sighed and with a look to Snape and Harry started walking toward the citadel.

"Tell me, Mr. Tollaporcius, what have you done to earn the task of errand boy? Surely your assistant could have done this." The man looked a bit affronted but responded calmly enough.

"He is in bed sick. There was no one else available at the time. Best not keep the Queen waiting." With that he turned and walked away in another direction, leaving the woman to chuckle to her self.

"Come on, Gentlemen. Best do as he says."

The citadel turned out to be a rather large and surprisingly friendly place, once they had passed the outer walls and the mean looking guards. The central courtyard was busy with activity, as people of all sorts were tending to the needs of the dragons as well as the horses and other livestock. Harry got the fright of a lifetime, when one massive yellow and green dragon swooped in and picked up a goat from the small flock, just as Harry was passing them. He jumped away from the large dragon's head and the bleating goat in its jaws and bumped into Snape who glared at him. The sounds of the frightened goat were cut off abruptly as the dragon chomped down and started to devour it. The blood flowed over the stones and the other goats bleated in fear as they tried to move away from the massive dragon eating their flock mate. Harry swallowed and tried not to be sick.

"Oi you big lout! What are ye doing that for? Them were me finest prize animals. Now the meat is gonna be ruined, with the fright ye gave 'em. I'll be lucky if I can sell the wool." A very small man came rushing over, screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his arms over his head, as if he could scare the dragon off that way. The dragon just looked at the man and bent down to take another bite. A man in his thirties came over, walking sedately. He was dressed in the casual style of the Dragonriders: a pair of trousers, a long-sleeved shirt with a belted tunic over it.

"Rika, did you ask this man if you could take one of his goats?" the man said in a tone most often used by mothers scolding their children while trying to hide their amusement. The dragon looked at him without remorse, shook its head and continued chewing in a demonstrable manner. The man smiled softly at it. He turned to the aggrieved owner of the goat and asked:

"How much do you want for the goat?" Harry could hear the man throw a fit, but couldn't stay and listen as he was pulled along by Snape's strong hand on his upper arm.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The state hall was enormous, but kept in a simple style. It had none of the opulence favoured by the purebloods and rich muggles alike. The golden stone walls were adorned with colourful tapestries, mostly just depicting beautiful patterns, though there was a large tapestry with a dragon hanging at the end of the room. Harry recognized the image, as the same one adorned the Dragonrider's cloak and in a simpler form the tunics as well. Large windows were set high in the wall along one side of the hall, providing the room with plenty of light. He looked up to see the entire ceiling covered in glowstone panels. There were also small squares of glowstones set into the pattern of floor tiles.

It was spectacular, but what really drew his attention was the large white dragon lying on a dais at the far end of the hall, underneath the dragon-tapestry. It seemed to glitter with every small movement of its body. It was so beautiful Harry found himself holding his breath in awe. There were other dragons and people in the room, but somehow this particular dragon seemed to demand attention.

The Dragonrider motioned them to follow her toward the dragon. Harry reminded himself her name was Mitakai. It would soon be to confusing to refer to her as the Dragonrider, when they were surrounded by Dragonriders. Her dragon, Snugglepuff, changed into its large form again and walked calmly beside them. Harry couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated and hemmed in by the large presence next to him. He really hated being this small and being surrounded by beings that were taller than him wasn't helping.

As they reached the front of the dais the Lady Mitakai knelt and bowed deeply to the white dragon. Though now that Harry was closer he could see its scales were not actually white. They were more like mother-of-pearl, shimmering with other pale colours as it moved. He looked at it curiously. Snape was standing stiffly beside him, a pillar of silence. The dragon looked at them.

"You have returned swiftly, Lady Mitakai, and with double the amount of guests than I sent you to retrieve." The dragon said with a pleasant female voice. She didn't sound upset though. On the contrary she seemed amused. The knight of the Dragonriders looked up and rose from her kneeling position.

"The older one insisted on accompanying the younger, Your Majesty." She told her with a small laugh in her voice. The dragon laughed softly at that.

"Did he indeed?" Then she turned her attention to the two human males in front of her and Harry began sweating nervously for no apparent reason. "And why is that?" she looked directly into the eyes of the potions master and he struggled to keep his calm.

"I swore to protect the boy." Before he could say anything else, the dragon laughed again.

"Oh, a bodyguard. That's a surprise. You do no look the type." Snape looked taken aback by her statement. There was no way that he was a mere bodyguard, a servant to the boy-who-lived. Before he could splutter his protests, the dragon had turned her gaze on the boy.

"Young Potter, I am Queen Moira and it pleases me to see you here. You honour us with your presence." She bowed a courteous bow to him. He sketched an awkward bow in return, feeling totally out of his depth.

"Likewise I'm sure." He stammered. She laughed softly again. He noticed Snape out of the corner of his eye; the man was still fuming. "Y-You know… Professor Snape's not really my bodyguard." He somehow found the courage to tell her – after reminding him self that he was a Gryffindor. She laughed heartily as did some of the bystanders.

"I know, little one. I know." She continued laughing. Lady Mitakai was also laughing next to them. Harry blushed quite red and now Snape was glaring at him as well.

"So," she continued after sobering. "You have agreed to be trained by us." Harry nodded. "And you understand the terms?" Again he nodded. "That's good. I'm sure you will do well. You might even become a Dragonrider one day." Harry paled a little as he thought of the dragon in the courtyard devouring the goat. He wasn't so sure dragonriding was his thing.

"You will begin you training tomorrow. But first, you will need a new name." Harry's face showed his obvious surprise. "If you are to be treated like everyone else, it would be best to keep your true identity hidden to everyone currently outside this room." The dragon queen gazed sternly at the room at large. There were signals of obeisance from the bystanders. "In the Nexus realm you will be called Harry Evans until such time you have earned another name." Harry smiled and nodded in agreement. He could live with that. '_Although what did she mean by earning another name?'_ he tucked the thought away for now. Snape was looking at him funnily. It was beginning to unsettle Harry, but he didn't have time to consider it. The Queen spoke again.

"You will also need to place a glamour over the scar. Do you know how to do that?" Harry nodded and performed the magic. The Queen seemed pleased, so he sent her smile.

"I hope you will be happy here with us, Mr. Evans." Her voice radiated warmth and Harry couldn't help but beam up at her. He really liked her a lot already.

"Lady Mitakai, please take Mr. Evans and his… friend to their quarters and make sure they want for nothing." The Dragonrider bowed and turned to them, sweeping her arm back the way they came, clearly wishing them to accompany her. Snugglepuff returned to its reduced size and settled on its riders shoulder.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Harry said to the dragon queen before being led away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

They were led down hallways and up a flight of stairs without steps. Seeing a centaur walking down passed them gave the explanation of itself. Finally the Knight stopped at a small cell of a guest room. It was about the same size as Harry's bedroom back at no. 4 Privet Drive.

"This is yours for the night, Professor. I will endeavour to find you some better accommodations tomorrow." Snape looked around disdainfully. The room was small, with a comfortable single bed, a wardrobe and a desk. A small window brought light into the room, but it was bare of any decorations. It was a place to sleep and store ones clothes and nothing else. He nodded tersely.

"And what of Mr. Po… Evans?" he asked.

"He will sleep in the dorms with the other squires." Snape looked extraordinarily pleased with this.

"Now, there's a washroom down the hall that way. You'll find soaps and towels already there. I'll send the seamstress by later to take your measurements for a change of clothes. You can get a new wardrobe tomorrow. Over in the desk you'll find a parchment. Tap it with your wand and say 'draconis revilio arcturus' and it will display a map of the citadel. It closes by tapping it with your wand and saying 'close', do not show the map to others." She looked at him sternly, and he nodded his understanding. "You are free to move about as you please. The guards will stop you if you try to enter restricted areas. I will come by tomorrow morning at eight for assignment." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well you didn't expect to hang around doing nothing all day, did you?" she smiled.

"Now Harry, come with me and I'll show you the dorms." Harry gave a short nod to Snape and followed the woman down the hall. "You'll receive some uniforms and various items, such as a hairbrush, from the Quartermaster." she gave his unruly mop of a hair a pointed look. "You will also get an allowance." She held up her hand to forestall his protests. "It is standard for all squires. You all receive the same uniforms, standard kit of useful items, room and board and a small allowance to be spent however you see fit. In return you work hard, study hard and should the need arise you will be expected to help the dragonrides defend the realm." They walked on in silence for a bit, while Harry absorbed this.

When they reached the stairs, the Lady held her arm out, blocking him from walking on. A pair of Dragonriders walked up the stepless-stairs and passed them. They bowed with one fist to the chest in passing and the Lady did the same. Harry looked after them. He felt he had a lot to learn about this world. He thought about all the things he had seen so far in the Nexus realm. A part of him really wished Ron and Hermione were there with him. Ron would have loved it and Hermione would have gone into full on research mode. But they had been growing apart during the last year or so. It was as if they were simply moving in different direction and while Harry remained under pressure to destroy Voldemort, they were left free to do as they pleased. Oh, Harry had no doubt they would fight by his side, but they were just not compelled to do so. They were not the ones to have a deadly prophecy hanging over them.

He was broken from his pensive mood when Lady Mitakai put a hand on his shoulder, to stop him walking into a closed door. He sent her an apologetic look and took in his surroundings. They were in a corridor on the ground floor. He could hear a lot of activity going on further down the hall somewhere around the corner. Mitakai opened the door and he was presented with a view of a busy storage room with a counter in front of the door. The blue haired knight ushered him in with a flick of her head.

A round woman wearing a dress with rolled up sleeves was standing a ways in the room levitating some crates to a top shelf with her wand. When the crates had been stored she headed over to stand behind the counter and smiled at them.

"Hello Mylady, what can I do for you?" she asked jovially. Harry was instantly reminded of Mrs. Weasley. Her hair was brown and braided in a no-nonsense-style. Her eyes were also brown and they sparkled with good natured humour. He instantly liked her.

"Hello Madam Septima, this is Mr. Evans. Harry this is Madam Septima, the Quartermaster. Anything you need you go ask her." He nodded and smiled at the woman. "Mr. Evans is starting as a Squire in the morning and will need to be kitted out." Madam Septima beamed at him.

"Well, this is grand. Twenty strapping young recruits all starting tomorrow… You must be so excited." She waved him over to the end of the counter, where there was a small platform. She made him stand on it and said a spell. A small scroll appeared in the air with a gentle pop. She grabbed it and unfurled it. She glanced at him over the top, tuttering softly.

"Mr. Evans, we really need to fatten you up. Says here you're a sixteen year old human. You should be much taller and heavier." She made a mark on her clipboard that had suddenly manifested itself. "I'll make sure your potions kit is equipped with extra strength nutrition and growth potions. Thankfully your body isn't quite done growing yet, so you can still have a reinforced growth spurt. Make sure you take the potions every day as per the instructions." She glared at him strongly; all though she couldn't hold a candle to Snape's infamous glares. Harry nodded, really pleased. He had always wanted to be taller. "I'll also include an eye-correction potion. Take it to night when you go to bed and your vision should be fixed by tomorrow morning." Harry's eyes widened. _There was a potion that could do that? Why had Dumbledore or McGonagall never suggested it? Surely glasses couldn't be very practical in combat. A blast of steam, some heavy rain or just simply a removal of the glasses would render him almost blind and helpless. Maybe he could ask Snape about it? _

A bell dinging once sounded from the counter. The Quartermaster beamed at him again.

"Ah there we are. Your items have been brought to your dorm. Will you need anything else?" Harry looked at her in surprise. She hadn't measured him or anything! Even Madam Malkin needed some time to measure and make the robes. The woman noticed his look and winked at him.

"It's magic." She said. Lady Mitakai chose that moment to offer an explanation.

"When you stepped on the platform, Madam Septima performed a spell. It took your measurements and general health status and put it on two scrolls. One for Madam Septima and one for her assistants out back. The assistants then took a standard uniform kit and charmed it to the proper size. It's a normal procedure. A house elf then takes the items and puts them where they need to be."

"Mylady! Must you give away all my secrets?" Madam Septima said, though the twinkle in her eyes belied her words. The Dragonrider smiled fondly at her.

"Only some of them. Young Harry is new to this realm. It is my duty to see to his welfare." She smiled at Harry. "I think we will also need a few clothes for off duty life as well. Young Harry came to us with just the clothes on his back and the wand in his pocket."

"Is that so?" Within moments the woman had her clipboard out again. "Any particular preferences to the style and colours?" Harry looked from one to the other, completely out of his depth. He had never been clothes shopping before, aside from when he bought his school uniform, which he was still wearing. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but no words would move passed his lips. The blue knight took pity on him.

"He will need an outfit for formal wear; a dark robe and trousers, two button down shirts, one white and one green. Shoes and socks. For casual wear…" she hesitated, giving him a look. "Muggle style, I would think. A pair of jeans, two t-shirts; one white and one green, a sweatshirt in light grey, a pair of sneakers and some socks and underwear." He smiled up at her. No one had ever gotten him clothes before. That is, new clothes that hadn't belonged to his whale of a cousin. She smiled back at him. "You can always exchange them if you don't like them or you can buy something else, either here or in the city." Harry didn't know what to say. It was all getting a bit too much to take in, really.

"Yes, as a Squire you will have an account here." Madam Septima said. "It's cheaper than buying from the stores in the city, but the selection is not as varied. But most Squires do shop here and save their money for other more enjoyable things. Like going to the pubs or buying trinkets at the marked stalls for their sweethearts." She winked at him and he blushed a little. He didn't have a sweetheart to buy trinkets for, but he wouldn't mind if he had. Ginny Weasley's pretty face flashed into his mind, but he quickly brushed it away. She was out of his life now and for the next five years and when he returned he would be five years older than she. It wasn't meant to be and the sooner he could move on the better.

They bade the Quartermaster goodbye and headed off to the dorms. They were located on the first floor a little way from the storage rooms. The Lady explained how a group of squires were accepted for training each year. Each year's group would eat, sleep and train together, sharing the assigned dorm. Harry would share a dorm with the 19 other squires of that years brood. After the first year they would be evaluated. Those that were found to be unfit to continue would be expelled from the program. After the second year of training they would receive quarters of their own.

Harry frowned a little. They were to share a dorm with girls. The squire training program paid no head to a person's gender or species; unless they were of a species that had special requirements, such as vampires who couldn't tolerate sunlight. They would learn to put their old lives behind them and transcend the strictures of their backgrounds and cultures. They would become Squires and hopefully one day Dragonriders.

It was with no small amount of trepidation that Harry followed Lady Mitakai into his new home.

The dorm was large and well lit. Two rows of simple wooden beds lined the two walls. A trunk was parked at the end of each bed and a small wooden closet stood in between them. The room also had a small group of people in it, he noticed. They looked up curiously when he entered, but it wasn't until the Dragonrider followed him into the room, that they jumped to their feet and bowed respectfully.

"I am Lady Mitakai," she said to the room at large. "Which of the beds belongs to Harry Evans?" The young soon-to-be-squires looked at each other in confusion. A young woman with those strange orange eyes Harry had noticed in others stepped forward and indicated a bed to the right side of the room, about two-thirds along the way from the door. The knight nodded her thanks and showed Harry over.

"Here you are," she said checking the small plaque on the end of the bed. It held his new name. "This will be your bed for the next two years. The trunk is also yours, as is the closet." She opened it and he saw the promised clothes stashed away there. On the left side of the closet there were a few small shelves. One of them held a metal box, reminding him of a muggle lunchbox. She opened it and showed him the small vials of potion inside.

"This is your potions kit. It contains an assortment of potions, like pain sreliever, blood replenishment and dreamless sleep. I suggest you all take the latter one tonight," she said loudly, so the group listening in could hear her clearly. They seemed unaware of the kit's presence in their closets, as one of them made a startled exclamation upon finding a similar kit in her closet. "Most Squires find it difficult to sleep in the dorms the first night and you will need all the sleep you can get. It's a big day tomorrow and I know it will start frightfully early." In a more quiet voice she added: "This kit also has your more special potions. Don't forget to take them." He shook his head.

Snugglepuff made a loud snoring sound from where it dangled around the Dragonriders neck. It made the both of them smile.

"On that note, I think I will get going. It's almost curfew and like I said, you need your sleep." Harry suddenly felt a strong wave of fear wash over him. He supposed it was the need to cling to familiarity even if he had only known her for a few short hours. She noticed the slight panic in his eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

There was a disturbance at the door, as a loud group of people were escorted into the room by a strict looking soldier type. Once they all were in the room, the man whistled loudly, forcing many to cover their ears.

"It's curfew. Lights out in fifteen minutes. Anybody not in bed by then will be expelled." With that he turned and walked out of the room. The Dragonrider gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. Just do as the instructor tells you and you will be fine. Remember to take those potions." With that she left him standing there, feeling all alone in the world.

A young man standing by the bed next to his opened his closet and brought out a uniform t-shirt and began changing.

"Well, don't just stand there, mate. Do as the Lady told ya." He grinned. Harry smiled back at him and proceeded to do the same.

Ten minutes later he had changed into his new uniform t-shirt, had drunk the awful tasting eye potion and the dreamless sleep potion and was now waiting for sleep to claim him. All around him he could hear the noises of his fellow dorm mates bustling around getting ready for bed or lying down chatting with their neighbours. To think this morning he had thought it would be another dull day.

**So what do you think?**


	3. Ch3 New beginnings

Chapter 3 New beginnings

Harry was woken very early the next morning, when the man from last night came in and started whistling loudly. He groaned sleepily as it was much too early to get up. It was barely dawn outside. The man was however merciless in getting them out of bed; even going so far as tipping one of the beds causing the young man in it to fall to the floor. Once everyone was standing they were ushered outside into the courtyard. None of them were given any time to dress of any kind.

Harry blinked tiredly, not feeling entirely awake yet. They were ordered to stand on the glowstones on a segment of the floor. Harry was beginning to notice his surroundings and the most amazing fact that he wasn't wearing his glasses. He couldn't remember a time when he had been able to see so well. He stared around in amazement; taking in the buildings surrounding them, the pattern of glowstones on the ground and the diverse nature of the people standing around him. One of his fellow Squires was a very short female with long brown hair. Another was a boy who looked to be at least part troll. There was even a goblin standing four places away from him. The rest however looked human enough – at least until he could take a closer look. He remembered the girl from yesterday had orange eyes. He hadn't spotted her, but he couldn't turn to look around as the man was stepping in front of them and glaring at them.

"Listen up! I am Mr. Rodrick, and I will be you physical trainings instructor for your first two years here." There was scattered mumblings at that. Not everyone seemed thrilled. "While you undergo training you are expected to put in a minimum of two hours physical exercise each day." More mumblings and groaning.

"Two hours!" the boy next to Harry mumbled sounding appalled.

"For your first year we will start you out with one hour exorcize every morning before breakfast. The second hour will be placed according to your schedules. Some of your training will also count as part of the two hour minimum, so I am sure none of you will find it difficult to reach that requirement." He glared at each of them in turn, as if daring them to prove him wrong.

"Seeing as this is your first day here, we will start out with a test to assess your level of fitness, stamina and strength. Each of you will be given an individual training program to follow as well as an individual diet plan." He stared hard at a boy who was a little bit on the chubby side and to Harry's shame, also at Harry. He knew he was underweight. The Dursley's had starved him for years and even though food had been plentiful at Hogwarts he had never been able to stuff himself as he had seen Ron and some of the other boys do. He thought about the potions tugged safely away in his closet. Maybe he should ask for an appetite stimulant as well?

He shivered. It was a bit chilly even though it seemed to be summer here. It was a bit odd to leave Hogwarts at the end of autumn and the next day it was summer again. He supposed that's what it felt like for muggles who fly from one part of the world to another.

"Inside that room," Mr. Rodrick continued and pointed toward a building on the far left of the courtyard. "Is a muggle style gym." That caused a new flourish of mutters. "Muggles have invented a plethora of machines to help them get fit. Our technical staffs have been able to modify them so they can function around magic. You will use them for your exorcise every day. The gym is staffed at all hours if you need any help operating the machinery or need help with your assigned tasks. Now follow me." He trotted briskly toward the gym and the class followed him somewhat hesitantly. A girl next to Harry was protesting about being forced to use muggle equipment. The way she spat out the word muggle it was clear to the listeners what she thought about them. The chubby boy from earlier looked angry as did several of the others.

"Oi, watch what your saying, bi… My parents are muggles." He told her, clearly biting his tongue so he wouldn't swear at her. Another boy jumped in:

"Yeah, mine too."

"And my mother was as well." A girl added. The pureblood found her self being glared at by most of the humans and the non-humans didn't exactly seem on her side either.

"My parent came to the Nexus Realm to get away from that crap. I won't listen to your nonsense here." A beautiful blond witch told her coldly. "We are supposed to be above that and the sooner you learn that the better." She stomped on passed their instructor and into the building. The man was observing them carefully. One by one they joined their dorm mate and left the pureblood behind. She seemed rather shocked by everything and Mr. Rodrick had to call for her to shake out of it and join them.

The gym was an experience on it own. The equipment was state of the art and they even had a Jacuzzi and a masseur. They were each given a rather extensive questionnaire regarding their fitness levels, their likes and dislikes. When they had stood in the courtyard listening to Mr. Roderick Harry had been terrified they would be made to run till they dropped, like in the muggle armies. Instead they were given a tour, introduced to some of the machines and let loose for twenty minutes to try them out. It was actually rather fun. Especially when one of the guys lost control of the cross-trainer and panicked proclaimed that he couldn't get it to stop. It wasn't until Mr. Roderick grabbed the handlebar and brought him to a halt, that the guy remembered that the machine was powered by himself.

After the gym they were sent back to the dorm to shower and change. After that a middle-aged woman by the name of Salira Soontiil came and brought them to the mess hall. The room was large with many tables filling the room. The food was served along the right wall allowing you to grab a tray by the door, fill it and register before moving to the tables. They were each handed a card and told to keep it with them were ever they went. They were told it served both as an id card and as a payment card. The food of course was free for them, but the card allowed the health staff to monitor their diet. Just like with the gym the concept seemed rather foreign to anyone not muggleborn or -raised. When Harry held his card out to the lady at the register she tapped it with her wand and moments later a ding sounded beside her. She nodded her head toward it. He looked and saw two small vials had appeared at space clearly left for that purpose. He looked at her inquiringly.

"Your potions." She said sounding bored and waved at him to get him moving. He was holding up the line. He grabbed them and headed for the table were some of the others were sitting. When he sat down he saw that the vials were labelled 'extra-strength nutrition and growth' and 'appetizer'. Smiling he downed them and tugged into his food and listened to the reserved small talk and introductions around the table.

After they had eaten they were collected by the woman from before, who then escorted them to an auditorium. Harry was surprised to see a group of people already there. They seemed to be all sorts. Some looked human, others most definitely were not. He spotted at family of the same type of red humanoids he had seen the day before. There were also a couple of goblins and two centaurs.

Then he spotted Professor Snape sitting alone to the far left in the back row. The man was wearing a black robe and looked as guarded as always. He was observing the rest of room, a small frown marring his features. Harry never thought he would ever see the day when he would actually be glad to see the man. But he was. It was most like just the need to cling to the familiar in all the new, he reasoned, but he didn't care. He smiled brightly at the man as he turned to watch the fledgling squires enter. Snape raised his eyebrow, but gave no other sign of recognition. Harry continued smiling, refusing to feel let down. A raised eyebrow was better than those dead glares he'd sent at Hogwarts.

The woman ushered them into their seats further down front and Harry forced himself not to turn and look back at Snape. Then the woman went up to the platform and joined two other people there. Harry beamed when he saw the Dragonrider, Mitakai with Snugglepuff on her shoulder standing up there. She smiled but showed no sign of having seen him. She was looking out at the crowd sadly. After they had waited a while and a few more people had entered the Dragonrider called for order. The room fell silent.

"Welcome everyone to the Nexus Realm introductory course. I am Lady Mitakai, with me is Madam Soontiil, Master Ranu and my dragon Snugglepuff." She indicated each in turn and they bowed in greeting. "Together we are going to give you a basic understanding of the Nexus Realm. Now we are a bigger group today than we normally would, because we have the first year squires with us. This is their first day of training to become dragonriders." The rest of the room turned to gawk at them and were whispering excitedly among them selves. A little girl of maybe four waved at Harry and he waved back at her.

"I understand that the majority of the rest of you are refugees from the Wizarding world." That caught Harry's attention. There were murmurs of assent. "On behalf of the Queen I wish to say how sorry we are for your current situation. We hope that you are comfortable and have been well treated here." Again murmurs of assent. The Dragonrider nodded thoughtfully. "Here in the Nexus Realm we take great pride in showing hospitality and serving the needs of all guests. We will help you find a place to live, a job or school and some of the basic amenities. In return we expect you to become productive members of our society; that you will abide by the law; pay your taxes and do your stint at community services."

"When will this happen? We have been here three days already and…" a man shouted from the back. The Lady held her hands up and said:

"Please, there will be plenty of time for questions later. Now… The Nexus Realm is ruled by the Queen of the dragons. It is their rightful home. The dragons you may know from the Wizarding world are distant relatives that emigrated a long time ago. They have since then degenerated to a more primitive form. Right now we are in the Queens capital, known as the Golden City due to the colour of the local rocks used for building here. Most people tend to associate this city with this realm. But there is an entire world out there, with many other cities, towns and villages. The nearest town is only about twenty kilometres away. There is plenty of farmland around, so if you are interested in farming, you need only fill out an application. We have a large array of shops and have a free market. Products for sale are subject to regulation and control by law enforcement, to ensure the safety of the population. We employ a guild system with a masters training program for learning most crafts. Guild certification is required for employment as skilled labour. If you already have a mastery, go to the appropriate guild. They will test you and recertify you." She looked at the man beside her, Master Ranu, and took a step back. He smiled at her and stepped forward.

"I am Master Ranu. My mastery is with the Artisans Guild." Harry began to tune them out as first Master Ranu and then Madam Soontiil talked on and on about everything from the tax-, health- and legal systems to politics and history. Sure it was good to know, but did they have to keep on and on about it? His legs had fallen asleep and his stomach was growling. The two people next to him were whispering with their neighbours and he couldn't hear what they were saying. Finally the assembly was disbanded, but to Harry's dismay the squires were told to remain. He looked longingly as the others, including Snape left the auditorium.

Madam Soontiil looked at them and said:

"You will go to your meal now. Be back here in one hour precisely. Tardiness will be punished." They hurried away.

"Phew, I thought we would never get out of there." Someone said.

"I'm all groggy from too much information and it's not even past lunch yet." Another groaned. Harry agreed with them wholeheartedly. They made their way into the mess hall and filled their trays. Once again he was presented with potions and he took them without a fuss. The young woman he had noticed with the orange eyes sat down next to him and said:

"Hi, I'm Oona."

"Harry P.. Evans." He quickly corrected himself. She didn't appear to notice.

"Wizard?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You?"

"Fey. Mountain fairy. Grew up in the mountains to the south of here. There's a colony of us there." She began eating.

"I've been there once, with my folks." A boy across from them said. "Dad trades with them. Name's Tom, Tom Feducci. I'm human and a squib." There were gasps all along the table. Harry was astonished. He had been under the impression that they had to be able to do magic to become dragonriders. Tom was eating his meal as if nothing was wrong. "Merlin, were they pleased when I got picked for training!" he chewed his food. "Well eat up! Don't know when the next meal is, do we?" he said before taking another mouthful. Slowly they returned to their food.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Severus Snape walked along the golden corridor, which was open along one side to a courtyard one floor below, and secretly admiring the artwork that decorated the wall. It was done in the popular glowstones that not only provided a source of light, but was also rather decorative and apparently easy to shape. This particular corridor's décor was in the form of a floral inlay about a meter high, which ran the entire length of the corridor. Little colourful glass pieces formed flowers, pixies, butterflies and other such fanciful embellishments. Genuine plants and flowers snaked their way up the columns along the courtyard.

It _was_ sickeningly sweet and Huffelpuff'y, but it was very well made. He grimaced at the non-word, determined to never think it again. It was a mystery though why someone would decorate a corridor in such a fashion. He quickly schooled his features into the stern mask that had served him so well with the Dark Lord and the students of Hogwarts alike. The noise of an approaching group of people could easily be heard. Soon after they burst through a door and flooded the corridor, filling it with noise, laughter and constant chatter. They stopped in their tracks when they saw him and a dead silence followed.

He looked at them. They looked human at first glance, but he soon noticed the pointed ears, the pale skin and the ethereal glow about them. _High-elves_, his mind provided. _Probably of the woodland variety_. Suddenly the décor made more sense. This was their corridor. He bowed to them respectfully and moved to pass them by. One of them, a male with auburn hair and brown eyes, put his hand on Snape's chest; stopping him. Snape looked at him, his mind working overtime to determine the man's intentions. The elf just tilted his head a little and looked Snape in the eye.

Snape couldn't feel any touch in his mind; what ever the man was doing he wasn't applying legilimency. He was therefore rather startled when the man's eyes showed a great understanding and sympathy. He was even tearing up. Snape tore away from him. There was no way he would stand there and be scrutinised and pitied by some tree-hugging elf. He stomped off, walking rapidly down the rest of the corridor, his cloak billowing behind him. But the odd feeling remained with him, that he had been tested somehow. The question now was whether or not he had passed.

Pushing the sentiment aside he strode into the next corridor and located the room he was headed for. It was the room for the Vocations Office. Inside a group of people were busy managing paperwork, interviewing applicants and who knew what else. It seemed a very busy place. He just managed to duck as a small scrap of paper came zooming by his head at great speed. Apparently they used the same memo system as the Ministry of Magic in the wizarding world.

His interview went quickly and without difficulty. He was told to rapport to Mrs. Jernigan at the potions maker's division for recertification. Mrs. Jernigan was a tall rake of a woman, but with a skill for potion making that rivalled his. She was friendly and easygoing but also a woman who took no nonsense from her staff. She expected the best from her people and would not hesitate to send them packing if they screwed up. She told him this herself while sitting at her desk overseeing the rest of the room.

An assortment of people of varying ages was working on different potions at the workbenches spread out over the room. Some of them were masters, others were apprentices and some were students. The division was responsible for all the potions used by the Queen's employees and everyone residing within her castle. They were also a member of the Potions Guild. Mrs. Jernigan handed Snape a list of potions and told him that he had one full day to make a sample of each of the potions on the list. The next day a potions master from the guild would test his samples and if they were done correctly and of sufficient quality he would be recertified.

His eyes scanned the list. He knew all of them by heart, but they were difficult and time consuming. He would need to take a bit of time to plan out which order he would brew them in. He was already so deeply immersed in thought, that he barely noticed Mrs. Jernigan summoning an apprentice. Startled he nodded when told the apprentice would fetch any ingredients and equipment he required, but would not otherwise be allowed to assist. The actual potions had to be entirely of his own making.

When his strategy was ready he waved the female apprentice over and told her what he needed. He was slightly improving of the fact that she took out a muggle note pad and pencil and started jotting down everything he was rambling off at top speed. While he waited for her to return he took a moment to glance around. The workbench could be adjusted in height by the simple touch of a button. It had built in Bunsen burners and a sink with both hot and cold water. Above the workbench there was an odd tube with a funnel at the end. He had no idea what that was. It seemed very much like a muggle science lab rather than any potions lab he had ever seen.

When the apprentice returned it was with a basket full of ingredients. Some were in bottles or glass phials; others, mainly the solid ingredients, were in little metal boxes with see-through lids, keeping each ingredient separate and uncontaminated until use. He suddenly had a memory flash of a young Hufflepuff putting contaminated beetle wings into a hair lengthening potion. The resulting explosion had been magnificent and the Hufflepuff had spent a month in detention going over the rule about keeping ingredients separate. He stepped out of the way and accidentally stepped on a button on the floor. The weird tube above the bench started making noise and he felt a draft from it.

"It's a muggle invented ventilation system." The apprentice said. "It sucks the potions fumes out. You activate and deactivate it by stepping on the button. You can move the funnel around if you wish." He nodded his understanding and deactivated it. Something like that sure would be useful in the dungeons back at Hogwarts. He wondered if he could persuade the Headmaster to install the system there. But that was five years from now. He had a test to pass in the present. He set to work.

The preparation and brewing was almost therapeutic to him. This was something he knew and loved; and something he was good at. The strangeness of this new realm faded away as his entire being became focused on the proper slicing of lacewing flies and the correct stirring of each brew. At some point a house elf appeared with a plate of sandwiches and he absently ate them while stirring a potion thirty-three times clockwise and nineteen counter clockwise and waiting for two minutes and 12 seconds before stirring again. The house elf appeared several times more during the day and the night bringing food and cups of tea.

When Snape was pouring the last sample into a phial he had no idea what time it was. His back was aching from having stood upright so long. It was an old injury would act up whenever he did these long stints in the lab. He sighed. He wasn't as young as he had been. He became aware of the presence of others in the room with him. A small contingent of house elves was busily moving about the room, cleaning it religiously. Fortunately they were ignoring him. He remembered the annoying elf back at Hogwarts. _Debby? Dubby? Dobby! _A small shudder coursed through his body.

One of the elves walked over to him, curtsied, snapped its fingers and a nice breakfast materialised on his workbench. The scent of coffee wafted through the air and his stomach growled. He nodded his thanks to the elf and pulled up a stool and began eating. _'If I ever return to Hogwarts, I'm going to add a stool like this to my lab'_ he thought as he chewed on a bite of toast. It was a chair designed for you to half stand, half sit in. Perfect for taking the weight of a bit without actually sitting down.

Just as he was finishing up his meal Mrs. Jernigan walked in smiling happily at him. Her jovial nature grated against his overtired nerves, but he kept calm anyway. It wouldn't do to insult the woman who held the key to his future here. The house elves finished their work and disappeared, taking his empty breakfast plates with them. Mrs. Jernigan then told him she would be testing his potions samples herself and sent him back to his quarters for a rest. He could come back in the afternoon for the results. Tiredly he agreed and was soon sleeping calmly in his quarters.

Needless to say he aced the test. Each potion was perfect and of a high quality. Mrs. Jernigan promptly offered him a position as potions maker under her division. An offer he accepted, figuring he could always find another position later if he needed to. He was told to report for work the next day where he would be making the Wolfsbane potion. There was a group of werewolves in the city as well as a small colony to the south east and would soon be a full moon.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Time wore on and our two heroes soon settled into a routine. Severus Snape spent his days brewing the potions required by the Division and his nights brewing his own experimental stuff. Mrs. Jernigan supported her potioneers in their extracurricular work and regularly encouraged her people to use each other in academic sparring sessions. He found that he actually liked having colleges he could share his trade with and who understood the intricate details of their business.

Harry Evans also found him self so busy that there was little time for anything but training and studying. He had quickly discovered that his teachers didn't believe in written assignments as much as his teachers at Hogwarts had done. They expected their students to read ahead and to partake in the group discussions and casework. They also believed in surprise tests, which had come as something of a shock to several of the squires who had begun to slack off.

Harry however found himself enjoying the academic work, which was probably for the first time in his life. He liked the challenges his teachers gave them and he found it much easier to concentrate without his former Gryffindor classmates goofing off or the Slytherins trying to sabotage him. He did miss quidditch, but the sport wasn't all that big here. Instead he had his physical training. He had noticed how he had begun to flesh out a bit and he also thought he was growing taller, but it was difficult to tell since his clothes were spelled to adjust with his changes.

He was currently looking forward to the harvest festival, which was one of the major celebrations in this realm. People were expected to arrive from all over the realms. Already the city was stocking up on trade goods and food sellers were busy preparing as much as they could of the items that could last. The bonfires were standing ready on the field just on the other side of the river. They would hold most of the actual celebration there, with music and dancing and lots of food. The squires had been buzzing with excitement for two weeks now.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Finally the Harvest was in and the celebrations could begin. The squires were under strict orders to behave and remember that they were now role models. They were dressed in casual uniforms with tight trousers, long sleeved shirts and the dragon embellished tunics. Harry was with a group of seven other squires from his year, most of whom he had become good friends with. They were loud and boisterous as they made their way to the train that would carry them to the bridge district. From there it would only be a short walk to the festival grounds i.e. the field across the river.

Some of the girls complained that they would not be able to go shopping this way, but someone in the group reminded them that the celebrations lasted three days and the festival grounds were also covered in market stalls. They would all be parting with their meagre salary soon.

The first day of celebration was partly religious for some of the species participating and partly just an excuse to have fun. There were ceremonies related to the worship of nature that the elven squires insisted on participating in. Harry was rather curious about these as he had never participated in them before. Hogwarts and the wizarding families he knew were more Christian oriented, making Christmas the major holiday along with Halloween. It turned out the ceremonies emphasised the changing seasons and the generosity of the deities in their provision for the people. Though he found it very moving he still preferred Christmas.

After the ceremonies they wandered the field looking at the many wares for sale, the vaudeville show performing various amazing acts of magic, the musicians playing a rowdy tune that made people dance where they stood. Oona, the mountain fairy, grabbed Harry and made him dance with her right in front of a food stall. He was laughing too hard to protest. When the tune was over they headed over to the food sellers and brought their purchases over to the tables and benches. It was noisy, full of laughter and loud conversations. People were having a good time and the alcohol was plenty. Harry felt he had never been as happy as he was now. The dragons merrily remained on the outskirts of the celebrations, not wanting to accidentally injure one of the tiny people around them.

It was while sitting there, that Harry got something of a shock. In the milling crowds he had spotted none other than Severus Snape. That in it self wasn't so shocking. He saw him often enough, lurking in the shadows observing his training or in the mess hall, where the man would sometimes eat his food. No the shock came from the fact that the man was smiling. He was sitting at a table with some other people and he was smiling. Granted his companions were roaring with laughter, but it was a huge difference from the sour, sneering dungeon bat he was used to seeing. Harry couldn't stop looking over at him, no matter how much he tried focusing on his friends. Snape never looked his way and never gave any indication he had seen Harry at all.

Pretty soon Harry was dragged out among the dancing crowd and forced to dance, first with one and then another. Some time later he had completely lost count of how many he had danced with, though he knew not all of them had been female. It was rather strange actually. He had always hated dancing. But here, today, he didn't seem to mind so much. Maybe it had to do with the fact that here he could just be himself. Here he was Harry Evans and a first year squire. Nothing more, nothing less. If he messed up, it wouldn't be plastered all over the front page of the Daily Prophet. In this realm he could be the person he wanted to be without expectations or prejudice. He'd found the thought quite liberating, when it first occurred to him.

The bonfires were lit at sunset by a dragon breathing flames onto them. The music reminded him of the Celtic folk traditions and was very easy to dance to. A lively chain dance was winding its way across the field and around the fires. Harry laughed and followed along, making up a single link in the chain. They were nearing the edge of the forest when he broke free of the chain and it sealed closed behind him. He felt an odd sensation envelop him, drawing him closer to the forest. He knew he should turn away and join the others, but it was impossible to break free. Not that he tried. It was almost like a trance dulling his thoughts, making him docile.

When he got to the edge of the forest he could see a young girl standing further in. She was dressed in a floral summers dress with her blond hair hanging loose around her shoulders. She was signalling him to come closer. He walked over to her and stopped in front of her with a lovesick expression on his face. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He was quite speechless with looking at her beauty. Then she smiled and kissed him.

**Lemon removed due to the sites censorship. You can find the uncensored story on my homepage www . freec . dk / 2910leiv**

As soon as he was done he felt immensely tired. Blearily he looked up at the young woman, but what he saw was a hideous creature. Her skin was grey and wrinkled like tree bark. Her eyes and hair was black and her fingers were exceptionally long and thin as bones. She laughed when she saw his terror.

"There now, young one." She said with a strange accent and Harry once again felt the odd haze fall over him and she looked like the young girl again. "Go to sleep." She waved her hand over his face and he promptly fell into a deep sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Severus Snape was stumbling along the edge of the forest looking for a rare animal he believed to have spotted just moments earlier. Had he been entirely sober he would perhaps not have undertaken such an endeavour as it would be highly unlikely any animal, rare or otherwise, would choose the harvest festival as a good place to be. He snickered drunkenly as he spotted a bare pair of legs on the moss covered ground. _'No,'_ he chuckled. _'They are not bare. There's boots and trousers by the ankles. Wonder what they're doing here?'_ he stepped closer. His less than normal coordination caused him to fall over a tree root and land on all fours right in front of the rest of the person.

"Harry?" he whispered. "Harry Potter?" The young man didn't stir. He was naked from the ankles up and covered in love bites. Snape reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder and shook it. No response. He pulled his hand away in an unintentional caress down the young mans body. He certainly was good-looking. Still a bit thin but getting there. The physical training was evident in the muscle toning. _'If only I were twenty years younger.'_ Snape sighed to him self.

"Come on, Golden Boy. You can't lie here all night." He said and tried waking Harry again. He even tried pulling him up by the arm, but lost his balance and tumbled down laughing next to the young man. Once he was lying down he no longer felt the need to get up. He would just lie here for a few minutes first. He yawned, making his jaw crack. Moments later he was fast asleep.


	4. Ch4 The morning after

Chapter 4 The morning after

Dawn broke over the horizon and cast its brilliance over the landscape below. The forest became alive with the songs and calls of birds and other animals. One curious hinkypunk hopped on its single leg out into the small clearing to see the strange humans laying there. When one of them moved in its sleep and groaned the hinkypunk decided it had seen enough and hopped back into the sheltering protection of the ground covering foliage.

Severus Snape groaned deeply. His head felt like a heard of stampeding hippogriff had run over him and his tongue was glued to the top of his mouth, which incidentally tasted awful. He quickly identified the symptoms as those belonging to a hangover and wished he had had the foresight to pack a hangover potion in his pocket. But as it was, he hadn't gone to the celebrations with the intention of getting drunk. That was something that he had been slowly talked into during the course of the evening, as his colleagues had plied him with one drink after another. Normally he would have said no to more than one drink, seeing as he always had to be ready to join the Dark Lord, if he called. But seeing as the monster was out of reach, he had allowed him self the indulgence.

He groaned. _Never again_. Served him right he supposed. He moved a tiny fraction of a centimetre, careful to avoid making himself sick or causing his head to pound even further. That was when he realised his pillow was of a rather odd shape… and warm … and moving. Gingerly he opened his eyes to peek out through the lashes, but the brightness forced them shut again. He then chose to move his one hand, the one that wasn't being squished beneath his own body and that of his pillow's. The hand felt a shape, rather like a chest – a male one, he was sure. The shape of the muscles and the lack of breasts were the primary give away. The texture was soft, like skin and as he moved his fingers over it, the texture changed and became sort of prickly – like goosebumbs.

He groaned inwardly this time. The evidence seemed overwhelming. He was resting on a male body. He must have had 'relations' with them or at the very least intended to. His memories of how the night ended were rather a messy blur. He'd been drinking and enjoying the company of his colleagues. They'd danced at some point. He could distinctly remember dancing with a lithy brunette man, who could do a dance that aught to be illegal in front of spectators. He almost blushed at the memory. Maybe it was this man he was resting on?

He opened his eyes slowly again. No, there was a mop of almost black hair. The person's face was turned away from him so he couldn't see the features. But he seemed awfully young. _Oh Merlin, had he somehow molested a child?_ He felt bile pushing its way up through his throat at the very idea. Hurriedly he turned away and all but crawled over to a tree, where he proceeded to empty his stomach of its contents. Unbeknownst to him he was drenching a now very upset Hinkypunk, who wowed to take revenge as soon as it got cleaned up and could breathe again.

When he was done he leaned his head against the tree, drawing a bit of strength and coolness from it. His head was pounding something awful. He turned around and looked over at the body laying there, mostly naked. Whoever he was, he was somewhat smallish and a bit on the thin side, though a bit of muscle tone was also evident. In fact, he looked awfully familiar. Snape closed his eyes. He should have known he would go for someone who resembled the infernal, but handsome, Gryffindor Golden Boy. It appeared he would be willing to settle for a look a like, if he couldn't have the real person. He hated himself at that moment. He had molested a child, because they looked like Harry Potter. _How was he supposed to get out of this?_

It was at that moment the child chose to wake up. His eyelids fluttered as he moved, turning over to face Snape. The man held his breath. Quite suddenly the eyelids flew up and twin green beams were pointed at him, piercing him. He swallowed nervously, unsure how to respond to this entirely new situation. _Wait a minute! Green? Those eyes… _

"H…Harry?" The youth looked confused at him. For a brief moment Snape thought is was due to his use of the boy's first name. He just couldn't get himself to call him by his last name after what he had done to the boy.

"Snape?" he asked, before suddenly bolting upright. He looked around frantically as if searching for someone or something, and then he noticed his state of undress and with a small whimper yanked the pants up. The youth got a twig caught in his pants and was awkwardly trying to both pull up his trousers and remove the offending twig at the same time. Snape would have found the sight humorous if he hadn't been so confused, worried and ashamed.

"Harry, I..." he started, but Harry interrupted him, apparently without noticing.

"Where is she?" Snape frowned. "The girl? The… whatever the hell she was." Snape was by now thoroughly confused.

"What girl? There's no one here but us." He said. Harry shook his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose, as if thinking hard.

"There was a girl. Blond hair. Last night. Only she wasn't a girl."

"Potter, you are not making any sense." Snape's head was still pounding and he really could do with a hangover potion. This was just too confusing to consider without it.

"It was like I was under a lust spell." The youth whispered, but Snape heard him anyway. "She was calling me into the forest and before I knew it we were having sex. But just as it was over, she changed into some sort of wrinkly hag." He sounded positively disgusted and a small part of Snape cheered, as it brought him hope. "It was like the spell broke and I saw what she really was and panicked. But before I could do anything… she told me to sleep and… I did." The youth shuddered at the memory.

Snape thought about it. The boy's story obviously exonerated him from any wrong doing, but someone had clearly molested the boy. By the sound of it, she could have been a type of succubus, a sex demon that feeds of sexual energy. If that was true, then the boy had had a close call, as many succubi and their male counterparts, incubi, kill their victims. He told the boy this. Harry stared at him in shock.

"I lost my virginity to a sex demon?" he said, as if not quite believing it had happened. Snape considered all the possible responses and retorts he could make, but in the end kept it neutral.

"It would seem so." The boy looked pensive. "You should get dressed. I'll escort you into town and submit my testimony to the law enforcement officers." The boy snapped his head up, upon hearing this.

"I don't…" he started to protest. But Snape wouldn't allow it.

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. You were assaulted by a sex demon. Who knows if its next victim will be as lucky as you and survive?" Catering to the boy's hero-complex seemed to work, as the boy visibly slumped in defeat and finished dressing.

They were walking slowly across the mostly empty field heading toward the city. Around them were the remains of yesterday's celebrations, marked stalls and benches. Trash littered the place and here and there they would come across people sleeping. In a space between two marked stalls they even passed three people sleeping naked, two men and a woman. It was rather obvious what they had gotten up to at some point in the night. Snape smiled inwardly, while Harry blushed and hurriedly looked away.

"Sir? May I ask you something?" Harry said after a while, when they were approaching the bridge.

"I believe you just did." Snape grumbled. The boy hesitated, but plucked up that damned Gryffindor courage and asked his question anyway.

"Why were you there? In the forest, I mean." Snape actually missed a step, before walking passed a surprised Harry.

"That is not any concern of yours." He said briskly and ignored the youth. Or rather he tried to. The boy was looking at him with a worried look in his eyes.

"It's just that… I thought I heard you being sick. That's what woke me up."

"I assure you, I am perfectly fine." _Or I will be, once I get a blasted hangover potion._ The boy didn't look convinced, but thankfully he dropped the subject. _Perfect timing too_. They were approaching the city gate, where a contingent of guards was stationed.

"Excuse me," he said to the female guard standing in the gateway. "We would like to report a crime." She looked at them, judging correctly that they were celebrators only just returning. She gave Harry a particular hard stare, knowing by the uniform that he was wearing, that he was supposed to be back in the dorms hours ago and certainly wasn't allowed to stay out all night.

"What is the nature of the crime?" she asked, sounding a bit bored. She had been on guard all day yesterday as well and had had to deal with everything from petty thefts to brawls. She had only just come back on duty and already she had to deal with more problems.

"Sexual assault by a suspected succubus." Snape said. _There, that should get her attention._ It certainly did. Her head snapped around and she looked from one to the other.

"Both of you?"

"Just the boy. I found him afterwards." She nodded, her mind already racing. A succubus on the prowl during the festival was bad news. The succubi and incubi were oath bound to refrain from feeding off unwilling subjects. Just as with the vampire population there were strict rules restricting both species from preying on the innocent. There was a willing crowd, who frequented the areas belonging to the species; who offered themselves as food for them. It was said to be extremely sexually gratifying to allow a vampire or sex demon to feed from you. Some even developed an addiction to it. So far the arrangement had not caused any significant difficulties. But if one of them had chosen to go rogue it would need to be stopped.

"We will need statements from both of you." She told them. "I'll inform Master Tiran of your whereabouts, Squire…?"

"Evans." Harry squeaked, speaking for the first time. He was looking decidedly frightened, as the reality and severity of the situation dawned on him. Master Tiran was the equivalent of the headmaster. He was in charge of all the squires and their training. He was also a very intimidating dragonrider, who had fought in many battles. Both he and his dragon were covered in scars. The dragon in particular looked menacing. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't be called to stand before the man.

The guard nodded to her self and sent him the first smile he had seen on her.

"If you'll follow me." She showed them into the guard house. From there they were led into the underground network of tunnels that seemed to spread out underneath the entire city. They were soon seated in a cart and propelled along a corridor, which seemed to exist solely for that purpose. Pretty soon they arrived at their stop and they were shown up into a building. It was the main centre for local law enforcement and situated right next to the Citadel. Harry was forced to stop and salute every other step, as the place was teeming with dragonriders, squires and guards. Clerical personnel were also milling about the place. A few lines of civilians had formed in front of the desk at the entrance, from were they were ushered in any given direction depending on the nature of their business there. Snape and Harry were led right passed and eventually shown into a waiting room.

Harry flopped down in a soft looking chair, while Snape lowered himself into another similar chair with greater dignity. A house elf appeared asking if they needed anything. Harry asked for his regular prescribed breakfast and potions. He was supposedly already in trouble for not returning to the dorms before curfew, he didn't want to make the matter worse by straying from his diet plan. Snape asked for some light refreshments, coffee and a hangover potion. The last caused Harry to stare at him until the elf left. Snape chose to ignore him. _Thankfully the brat didn't say anything_. But it was still a great relief to him, when the elf finally arrived and placed the refreshments before them.

He drank the hangover potion first, taking great comfort in the immediate relief it brought. Then he drank a whole glass of water and was quite pleased to see it refill it self automatically. He noticed Harry was also drinking potions before eating. It was something he had observed many times in the mess hall. He spared a thought to what it could be, but the smell of his food soon drove thoughts from his mind. No longer feeling hung over, he had no trouble stomaching the food and he tugged right in.

After the food had gone and they both felt more refreshed, a law enforcement cleric and a dragonrider entered the room. They were there to take their statements. It took quite a while and they were made to answer several supplemental questions. Harry was also subjected to a physical exam, which consisted of the summoned healer waving her wand over his body and the results appearing on a piece of parchment. It was still rather embarrassing for the teen, though he was glad to be told that he hadn't suffered any long term effects. He would feel a bit drained for the rest of the day and unable to engage in sexual activities for about a week, but other than that he was fine.

Once the questioning was done they were finally allowed to leave. Harry was given strict orders to return to his dorm and rest for a day. He was not allowed to do anything strenuous or to join his fellow squires at the festival. Nor that Harry really minded. He wanted a nice quiet day and a quiet evening. Catching up on some reading and preparing for next weeks test in magical quantum theory sounded like a great plan to him. To his relief he was given a letter to show to Mistress Soontiil. She was the chief cleric under Master Tiran and Harry often likened her to a head of House at Hogwarts. She was the one who kept track of everybody and who coordinated their schedules and so forth.

Snape decided to escort the boy. He wanted to make absolutely certain that he would not come to any more harm. He felt positively awful. He was supposed to protect the boy. That was the very reason he had chosen to come here to the Nexus realm. And he had failed in his chosen task. The boy had nearly been killed while he himself had gotten drunk. _And wasn't that a kinker!_ He had been so drunk he had actually thought he had forced himself on the boy. _As if he would ever rape a child!_ _No, he wasn't a paedophile._ While it was true that he had an attraction to the boy, it was a resent development, one that had started after arriving here and one he wouldn't act upon. The boy was under his protection and a student of his. _Well, maybe not so much anymore_, since they were no longer at Hogwarts. And_ well, maybe he would act upon it. When the boy was older, that is. Assuming the boy was even interested._ For all he knew the boy was as straight as a ruler. And he had his pick among a city full of beautiful young people. _Why would he ever be interested in his ugly, old potions professor?_

Harry was thankfully unaware of his thoughts. A fact Snape was rather grateful for. They were approaching Mistress Soontiil's office and he knew he would soon have to leave. He waited outside as Harry went in to present the clerics with his letter. It took a little while, as they questioned him in equal parts concern and curiosity. Succubi attacks were rather rare. But finally he "escaped" and joined Snape in the corridor once again. The man was not allowed into the dorms, so they stopped in the courtyard as close to them as they could get. Snape didn't know why the teen allowed him to accompany him. Nor did he question it.

They stood there for a long moment, neither knowing what to say. Harry opened his mouth several times as if to speak, but couldn't. In the end Snape decided it was best to simply just leave. With a curt nod he turned and walked away. He was almost at the door, when Harry called out to him.

"Professor!" he stopped and looked at the boy. He came running over and said:

"Thank you. For every thing." Then he turned and ran into the dorm building. Snape stared after him for a minute, before leaving.

**Remember to let me know what you think **


	5. Ch5 Dreams

**Yes, finally a new chapter! I had the worst case of lazy-itis after finishing my other story and then a case of writers block on top. Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, fav'ing and alerting. I very much appreciate it.**

Chapter 5 Dreams

Over the next couple of days Severus Snape made it a point to remain in the vicinity of the first year squires and of Harry P… Evans in particular. He subtly watched as the boy followed his training regime in the gym in the morning and watched as he ate his meals in the Mess Hall. When Harry and a group of his friends decided to explore the town on the last day of the festival, Severus Snape followed them around, like a shadow; stalking them. He was sure that Harry at least knew he was there, but didn't know what the boy thought of it.

_Severus was hiding behind the side curtain on a marked stall, casting surreptitious glances over the head of a plump woman with a bawling toddler on her hip. The stall was displaying fanciful tablecloths, napkins, scarves and the like. He glared at the loud child, disgusted by the slimy drool coating its chin and the snot running from its nose. The child saw him and howled louder in a frightened cry, prompting the mother to bounce it on her hip a few times in a vain effort to silence it. With an air of resignation she returned to her perusing among the colourful cloths and began haggling for a reasonable price over the din. _

_He looked over at where Harry and his fellow squires were standing. Some of them were examining some wooden figurines and others were browsing through the watercolour paintings in the next stall. Harry was standing between the two and laughing at something another boy had said, when he suddenly looked around, searchingly. Moments later his eyes met those of Severus', who gasped slightly. The boy was beautiful in his squire's uniform and happily, laughing eyes. He saw him recognise him, but he gave no sign of acknowledgement to Severus. Instead he turned back to his friends and proceeded as if nothing had occurred. Severus felt strangely abandoned after that, as if he had been warmed by the sun and now it had disappeared behind the clouds. He scolded himself upon such thoughts, telling himself to cease behaving like a bloody Hufflepuff. When the small group moved through the throng of people he pushed past the woman with the still screaming toddler and followed them._

It was about a week later when Severus received a letter from the law enforcement centre. It was delivered by a rather timid looking sparrow. Severus was surprised the bird was even able to lift the letter, let alone deliver it. With a slow delicate movement he took the proffered letter from the bird's beak and it immediately fluttered out the window with a trill of a song as a parting salute. He almost smiled after it; he had always liked birds. Looking down at it he opened the letter and read the contents.

_To Mr. Severus Snape_

_This to inform you of the capture of a succubus suspected of six counts of illegal feedings during the 73. - 82. day of summer, including the time of the harvest festival. _

_As a registered witness in the count of the accused and Harry Evans, you will be expected to stand ready to submit your testimony before the court at:_

_17. day of autum, Draconid year 9456. Between 9.00 and 19.00 o'clock._

_Signed:_

_Golden City Law Enforcement, Citadel Division._

He frowned. _Six counts!_ That was unheard of. There was absolutely no reason for a succubus to attack even a single person, let alone six. He shuttered. He had been to a succubus/incubus bar once with Lucius Malfoy on business for the Dark Lord.

_The place had been a nice enough establishment, looking much like any other bar; that is if one could ignore the masses of naked people covering the place; the seething, writhing bodies contorting in pleasure; the cries and moans of pleasure and pain; the smell of sweat, musk, pheromones and sex hanging heavily in the air; making it difficult to even breathe without affecting ones own body. _

_Lucius had allowed himself to succumb to it, joining in an ongoing orgy, but he had always enjoyed such depravities. An incubus had made a move toward Severus, leering at him, but he had pulled his wand and hexed the creature before he could ensnare him with his allure. Severus had then carried through with their mission (questioning and torturing a man) and left the place – and Lucius - right after. _

He shuttered again at the memory. It wasn't that he was prudish or anything; he simply preferred his partners and by extension him self to be willing, aware and free. When he had first joined the Dark Lord he had been made to go on the raids with the other Death Eaters. He had been untroubled by the violence and the torturing of innocents, but he had been unable to participate in the rapes. He still remembered the first time.

_He had stood frozen and watched as first Knowles and then Goyle sr. had beaten and raped a young girl. She had looked no older than thirteen, a mere child. She had screamed and fought until she was beaten enough to silence her. She had cried the entire time. Then Knowles had turned to Severus and pulled him closer, grinningly saying that it was his turn now. Severus had stood there for a moment, before bolting out the door and vomiting into a flowerpot on the door step._

It had earned him a full minute under the Crusiatus curse from the Dark Lord and a lot of ribbing from the other Death Eaters. But eventually it became an accepted fact, that he did not perform that bit of Death Eater "fun"; a fact that became more acceptable by his proves in the tortuous application of potions. He sighed. It was no good dwelling on such things. Deciding to brighten his mood, he put on his cloak and proceeded to walk through the complex toward the squire's territory. It was really an odd development, he mused, that the brat would actually be something to brighten his day rather than darken it as it always had before.

He thought about the past couple of years at Hogwarts. The boy had certainly been a menace, casting himself into danger at every turn and needing to be rescued and protected all the time. He remembered the many summer nights on guard duty at Privet Drive; of endless staff meetings discussing ward strengthening and other security measures, of preventing the boy from falling off an enchanted broomstick and of flinging himself to stand in front of the boy and a colleague-turned-werewolf. Life certainly had been interesting the last few years. He almost chuckled to himself. _Bloody Gryffindor brat_, he thought affectionately and almost snarled at himself for the thought.

He walked onto the fifth floor gallery and leaned over the balustrade to better look into courtyard below. It was as busy as ever with squires and clerics rushing to and fro, but oddly enough there didn't seem to be any of the first years about. He had come to know them all by appearance and a few by name as well. Primarily those closest to Harry. He sighed slightly, so only he could notice and headed down to ground floor. Maybe Harry was in the gym? Though it wasn't the usual time for it and it wasn't time for him to eat either.

When a thorough search of all Harry's normal haunts didn't reveal the small Gryffindor, Severus was feeling close to panicking. Not that he would ever admit to such a thing. Where could the reckless insufferable brat be? Then he spotted a cleric from the administrations office. Swallowing his pride, he rushed over and almost grabbed the woman's arm. He just managed to stop himself. She gave him an odd look. He smirked in what he hoped was a friendly gesture. She seemed to grow even more alarmed.

"Please, can you tell me where Squire Evans is?" he asked, forcing him self to be polite. She frowned at him, inquiringly.

"What year is he or she?" she asked.

"A first year." Severus cursed himself for not being more specific from the start. He was slipping. She smiled at him.

"Ah, the first year squires left this morning on a two week survival training course. They should be back on the 13. day of autumn." He thanked her. Harry would be back four days before the trial. Resignedly Severus walked off to go have a cup of coffee at nice café some streets away. Maybe he should check out a new book at the library?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry was aching all over. Every single joint in his body complained as he gingerly placed his ragged, filthy backpack on the floor of the dorm. He heard his fellow squires groaning and moaning around him as they too proceeded to strip themselves of their burdens. Harry decided to head off the rush for the shower and vanished his clothes with a flick of his wand. They were ruined anyway; torn and covered in mud, sweat and blood. He headed into the shower and just stood there as the warm water caressed his sore muscles and ran down his body, turning dark as it flowed through the grate in the floor.

Soon he had to continue with his shower, washing his hair and body for the first time in two whole weeks, not counting the time they had to swim across an ice cold river or the three day down pour they had to suffer through. As soon as he finished he stepped out of the water, leaving it on for the next person standing in line and nakedly dripping made his way into the dorm and found a towel and some sleepwear. They had become increasingly relaxed around each other during the few months they had shared a dorm. But the final breakdown of barriers had come on this trip. Spending two weeks together around the clock, doing literally everything together made such things as body modesty seem rather ridiculous. Though he supposed that the longer they spent back in "civilisation" the less likely they were to relax as completely again.

Sitting down on his bed he pulled out his potions kit and took a mild pain reliever and a muscle relaxant. With a sigh of relief he felt them kick in and he gratefully climbed under the covers and fell asleep within moments.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Harry… oh, Harry… wakey wakey." Some idiot was singsonging into his ear. Harry grunted, mumbling something rude under his breath and turned slightly away. The voice snickered. "Come on Harry, time to wake up… WAKE UP!" Harry sat bolt upright and blinked blearily. A person was standing beside his bed. Harry felt his blood turn to ice in his veins and gasped in fear. Voldemort. The snake-faced Dark Lord was standing right there by his bed at Privet Drive. How was that even possible? Harry thought frantically. The wards were supposed to be impregnable. Dumbledore had always told him the Death Eaters and Voldemort could never get inside the house. Voldemort looked at him with disdain and laughed menacingly.

"Oh Harry, you didn't think that you would escape me, did you?" Voldemort twirled Harry's wand in one hand almost absentmindedly. Harry was shocked to realise that he hadn't even made a grab for it when he discovered he had company. _What kind of a wizard doesn't go for his wand in a time of danger?_ He berated himself. Harry frantically looked around the room for anything that might help him.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" Voldemort said again in a hushed silky voice. The older man made a gesture and Harry suddenly found himself held in thin air as if by an invisible hand, unable to get free and barely able to breathe.

"Come with me, Potter. I want you to see this." The silky voice turned colder than ice and with a flick of the man's wand Harry floated behind the Dark Lord down the stairs and toward the sitting room. Just outside he heard the sound of muffled whimper and a subdued laugh coming from within. The door to the sitting room opened with a grand flourish and Lord Voldemort strode majestically into the room. Harry floated along behind him.

The scene was nightmarish. A dozen Death Eaters were standing around the familiar room; some had broken into the kitchen and were eating some of Aunt Petunia's cake for the Ladies Circle meeting tomorrow. Harry had spent three hours making that cake, he thought resentfully, as he watched a particularly messy Death Eater smear the cream filling from his hand all over the expensive wallpaper. On the floor in front of the Death Eaters were his relatives; Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley. Each of them were hogtied and with a gag in their mouths, to keep them from screaming. He could tell that Dudley had pissed himself with fear and he was quivering, trying to get closer to his parents, but held back by the foot of a Death Eater. Aunt Petunia was also looking extremely frightened, but Uncle Vernon looked furious. His face was purple and his little beady eyes flared.

"MacNair, if you would…" Voldemort waved his hand at the trio on the floor with a look of disgust. One of the Death Eaters moved closer and drew out his wand. Without any preamble he hit Vernon Dursley with a powerful stinging curse. The fat man on the floor roared in pain and the bony woman beside him screamed into her gag. She was hit next with a cutting curse. A number of large gashes opened and she began to bleed all over her pristine carpet. Then Vernon was hit again by more painful curses, one of which broke several bones in his body. Then Petunia was hit by the same curse. Her shrill scream sounded loud even through the gag.

Voldemort looked on quite calmly as MacNair continued to torment the adults, then he raised his voice slightly to be heard over the painful cries.

"Goyle, Crabbe, I believe your special talents are required for the boy." Two Death Eaters stepped forward, one of them being the one who had soiled the wallpaper.

"Well, he is rather disgustingly fat for my personal tastes, My Lord, but I shall make an exception today." The man grinned and moved over to the terrified teen on the floor. The other Death Eater, Harry couldn't tell them apart, was already there and was using a cutting curse to remove Dudley's clothes. Some of the cuts went too deep and cut into the boy's skin, making him howl with terrified pain. Harry's eyes widened as he realised what they were going to do. He struggled, trying to get free, but was completely stuck. He couldn't even make a sound. He watched in horror, as the two Death Eaters, fathers of two of his year-mates at Hogwarts, raped his cousin. Beside them MacNair was still torturing his Aunt and Uncle, making blood splatter in every direction. The other Death Eaters watched everything gleefully, laughing and making leering suggestions to Goyle as he plunged into the obese child. Harry wanted to close his eyes; wanted to let the bile flow from his stomach, but he couldn't. Voldemort was making him watch everything.

When Crabbe and Goyle had finished abusing the boy, Voldemort stepped forward, put a hand on MacNair's shoulder, making him cease his cruelties.

"Gentlemen, it is time." With a small nod he turned and looked straight at Harry for the first time since entering the room. A small menacing smile appeared on his face. Behind him MacNair said:

"Avada Kedavra." And a green light flew from his wand at Vernon Dursley. Then it was repeated on Petunia Dursley, whose screams broke of in mid-scream. Harry stared at her unseeing eyes, as the curse was sent at the blubbering Dudley. One of the Death Eaters kicked the now still form of the youngest Dursley.

"Filthy muggles."

Voldemort gestured for them to get out of the house through the garden door and they hurriedly left. Harry could hear the pops of apparition quite clearly, as he still hung suspended in the air. When Voldemort was the only one left he turned to look at Harry, made a small half bow and said:

"Until we meet again, Potter." Then he pointed his wand up toward the ceiling and said: "Morsmordre." Harry knew the skull and snake symbol would be floating in the air above Privet Drive. Then the entire scene seemed to vanish as if it were smoke clearing and he bolted upright, sitting in his bed in the first year squire's dorm in the Nexus realm. His heart was pounding and he was gasping for breath, as if he had been running. He felt the bile rise in his throat and just managed to turn to one side and vomit onto the floor. A startled house-elf busy cleaning three beds down rushed over to him and vanished the sick. Then it told him in a high squeaky voice, that it would get help and with a soft pop it disapperated, before he could protest. With a sigh he fell back into bed and flung an arm over his eyes. It hadn't been a dream. He was sure of it. He had just witnessed Voldemort murder his relatives.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Master Snapey, sir?" A scared high pitched voice broke into his peaceful slumber. He felt a tug on the sleeve of his pyjama shirt.

"Master Snapy, sir, has got to wake up, sir." The voice insisted and the tugging increased. Severus Snape growled at the disturbance and was rewarded by a loud shriek of fear. But then the voice repeated:

"Master Snapey, sir, please wake up. Sir is needed, sir is." Snape slowly opened his eyes and glared at the offender. It was a house elf, not that he was surprised. Few creatures would speak so ineloquently and in such a high voice. The sound of it was like dragging nails across a blackboard, something he sometimes did, when teaching idiotic Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors.

"Why are you disturbing me (he checked the clock) at four in the morning?" he growled. He had stayed up brewing a difficult potion until quite late and had only gotten a few hours sleep. The house elf jumped in fright.

"Snookie is sorry, Master Snapey. But Mistress Soontiil told Snookie to get Master Snapey." _Oh, sure, it can't get my name right, but Soontiil it has no problem pronouncing,_ Snape thought angrily as he sat up with a groan and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The elf scurried out of his reach. _Probably too experienced at the violent responses some people have to being awoken in the middle of the night_. Then it hit him. Mistress Soontiil was the chief cleric under Master Tiran and responsible for taking care of the squires. _Harry!_ He made a grab for the house elf, but it had wisely stayed out of reach.

"What has happened? Is something wrong with P…Evans?" The house elf looked at him with big frightened eyes.

"Snookie does not know, Master Snapey, sir. Snookie is cleaning the dorm, sir, when one of the young squires got sick all over the clean floor, sir." It sounded indignant that someone would do such a thing. "Then Snookie left to fetch the Watcher, sir. The squire was led to the infirmary and Snookie was sent to fetch Master Snapey, sir." Snape sighed. He never thought a person could put so many sirs into one paragraph.

"Allow me to get dressed and then take me to the infirmary."

"Yes sir, Master Snapey sir." He just managed to avoid rolling his eyes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The house elf vanished with a soft pop and left him standing in a gently lit hall. A row of chairs were scattered along the length of the hall on one side and a row of doors on the other. There was a door in front of him with a number 15B painted on it. It was slightly ajar. When he pushed it open an elf, of the humanoid - woodland variety, looked up and gestured at him to enter.

"Ah, you must be Master Snape." The man said. Snape nodded once in affirmation and then focused his attention on the squire in the bed. _Harry!_ The boy had a doped up look on his face, but he was conscious; his eyes were swimming and rolling in their sockets; he had a small dribble of drool at the corner of his mouth. He was very pale and clammy; by the looks of him he had certainly seen better days.

"I am Healer Woo Lee." Snape turned sharply to look at the man. _Did he just call himself Woolly?_ The elf rolled his eyes and sent Snape a look, silently daring him to say it.

"Squire Evans has named you his ICE." Seeing the potion masters confusion he clarified. "A person to contact In Case of an Emergency." Snape nodded his understanding, while his thoughts were racing. _Why would Harry name HIM as his contact? Surely some of his friends…_

"The squire has experienced some form of disturbing dream…" the elven healer didn't get to finish his sentence, as Snape interrupted him furiously.

"Do you mean to tell me, that I was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, because P..Evans had a nightmare?" He was about to turn and head for the door, when the elf looked at him peculiarly and said:

"No, Master Snape. The squire did not merely suffer a bad dream." Snape glared at him, but the man didn't as much as flinch. If Snape hadn't still been so furious, he would have felt he was loosing his touch.

"I believe young Evans has experienced what my kind refers to as a 'true dreaming'. A vision if you like." That made Snape pay attention. He was aware of the boy's connection with the Dark Lord and the telepathic link they possibly shared. Headmaster Dumbledore had made him help with the research on it when the boy had first exhibited signs of being linked with the evil man. Dumbledore's theory that Voldemort had somehow formed a telepathic link with the infant Potter, upon the temporary loss of a physical form had still to be proven or disproven.

"The young man told me of how he was awoken in his family's home and made to watch as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters tortured raped and killed his relatives." Snape swallowed deeply. "He was understandably most upset, barely coherent in fact. I had to administer a sedative." He added sadly. Snape nodded pensively. He knew how the Dark Lord's little raids went. He had participated in his fair share of them.

"What will happen now?" he asked. The healer looked at him in gentle understanding. That was one of the reasons he was always so on edge around their kind. They had great empathy and could read him like an open book, no matter how much he tightened his occlumency shields.

"Now we help the squire to grieve and teach him to block out unwanted visions." Snape snorted discretely.

"The boy is terrible at occlumency." The healer gave him a penetrating stare.

"Then there is all the more reason to learn." He paused, obviously waiting for some sign from Snape. The potions master stood rigid and clamped down on his shields so tightly he knew not even the Dark Lord could enter. But the healer just sent him a little smile and a nod.

"Perhaps a diverse effort will promote understanding. I shall be teaching Squire Evans various techniques in meditation, mental control and the telempathic shielding techniques employed by my kind. Perhaps you would be so kind as to… further his understanding and use of occlumency?" The look the elf sent him was unmistakable. It was a direct challenge for Snape to prove himself as an occlumence and as a teacher. Snape was tempted to refuse, to show that he was above such juvenile attempts at machoism. But as it was Snape was a proud man and the fact that a tree hugging elf would be able to do, what he could not was too much of a slight on his ego.

"Very well." He said. _I accept you challenge._ He looked at the boy on the bed. _Merlin, what have I gotten myself into?_

Once the healer had left the room he allowed himself to collapse tiredly in the chair by the window and sighed. Harry had fallen asleep and was snoring softly, slobbering slightly on his pillow. Snape pulled a face at the disgusting sight, but soon it morphed into a worried frown. _Why does it always have to be you, Harry?_


End file.
